Recent comments

Don't feel pinned down by our negative comments Paul.  Some people are just not in the right frame of mind for a free bowling deal.

It is indeed fixed. One thing I've found is: The website hangs just after you enter your code(supposedly because of "high use.") McD then expects you to get tired of waiting and re-enter the site. But, even though your code was apparently never used cos the site "brokedown." Your code is registered as "used already." So you get ripped off for that play. It's happened to me several times in the past week. Another thing was when I was going for a third railroad. The dice roll changed to a 9 from an 8 so that I'd miss that particular RR by one space!

I work for a non-profit in NJ doing environmental advocacy. We are setting up a new 5-10 person office and need a cheap PBX. If you find a suitable system would you consider donating it to us and taking a tax deduction? Could net you as much as selling it.

Thanks

Richard

Thanks for the links Guest and Tri. I have been focusing on the mortgage acceleration only using the spreadsheet rather than money management tools, though many readers have emphasized the value of such tools. I can see how those tools could be extremely useful though my approach is different, most likely due to the way my brain is wired. I tend to determine how much I can spend in various categories (meals, clothing) after subtracting fixed, nondiscretionary expenses such as housing and baseline costs for utilities for example; still if your expenses vary over time (and they do, depending on life circumstances) it is good to review them and then see where you can reduce and then apply savings toward financial goals such as investing or prepaying. 

I will stop using disposable baggies and bring my lunch in reusable containers. I will also buy cfl bulbs for my parents & aunt.

=) In England, a vest is what we Americans call an undershirt, and a waistcoat is what we call a vest. So you're right, too! These are great ideas. I love the idea of a denim quilt. I was just talking to someone today about using toddler jeans to make purses.

I think this is a nice little parable. The Ant and the Grasshopper is not a true story and neither is The Hare and the Tortoise but it doesn't stop them from teaching great lessons. Thanks for sharing.

what about their online board game? is that a generated game that has fixed probability on the dice as well?

I hove the concept! Millionaires don't get rich by squandering their money. It's ideas like these that keep money in their pockets.

hey guys, thanks for the link love back.

Reading through these lists, I realized that as my family has become more committed to handling our money responsibly, we have also become more green.

1. WE DID build a rain barrel (a free neighborhood association event) that we use to gather water for our outdoor pond, vegetable garden, and indoor fish tank. WE WILL use that water for indoor plants and see if we can’t use it to flush the toilet as well
2. WE DID install a programmable thermostat this summer – we couldn’t figure out how to use it, which really cut down on our use of air conditioning ☺
3. WE DID just replace all our light bulbs with CFC bulbs, for which we got a rebate from our local energy company that made the $4.95 bulb 79 cents!
4. WE DID just put our electronic equipment on power strips so we can turn them all off at once every evening. I WILL unplug power strips in the evening.
5. WE WILL become a one-car family, using carpools and busing. We donated one old car to charity – one more to go. WE DID buy a scooter, which my husband uses to get to work when it’s above freezing. It gets 90 miles per gallon!
6. WE WILL stop using paper towels.
7. WE DID stop buying lunch at work, saving money and a massive amount of paper waste. I WILL start bringing silverware from home and stop using plastic silverware from work.
8. WE DID pick up some free reusable grocery bags at our state fair and we’ve been using them about half the time. WE WILL find a way to remember them every time we go shopping.
9. WE WILL find more ways to walk to our errands rather than drive a car. Two weeks ago we walked to the grocery store with our reusable bags and two of our kids. We had a great conversation along the way about what we are doing to be more financially and ecologically responsible. We asked for their ideas as well.
10. WE WILL sign up for a CSA (community support agriculture) share next summer as a way to eat local and minimize the gas used to transport food long distances.
11. WE DID bring paper home from work that had been printed on one side so we could use the other side for printing.
12. WE DID spend much of the year decluttering. We posted items online on Freecycle and were able to recycle ceiling tiles, old wood paneling, old bicycles!
13. WE DID start this month sending cease and desist notices to vendors who send us catalogs. We’ll check online if we need something.
14. WE DID save a couple of plastic drinking bottles. We buy the large container of V8 juice and pour a day’s drink into the smaller plastic bottle to bring to work.
15. WE DO wash and reuse plastic sandwich bags, but WE WILL start using more durable plastic containers and try to live without the baggies altogether.
16. WE WILL look for ways to avoid using the clothes dryer.
17. WE WILL look into e-bills to see if we can do it without losing track of bills!
18. WE WILL sew some decorative bags that we can use and reuse, instead of wrapping paper, for the holidays; better yet, we will look for ways to give non-tangible gifts.
19. With the money we are saving with tips from Wise Bread and other sources, WE WILL make progress on our 10-year plan to make our house more energy independent with solar or geothermal.